Departmental Description
The District Attorney is selected by the County electorate for four year terms. The powers of this elected office are drawn from the New York State County Law (Sections 700 and following), Criminal Procedure Law and Penal Law. The District Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of all violations of state law occurring within the boundaries of Jefferson County. Currently this includes but is not limited to the prosecution of violations of the New York State Penal, Alcoholic Beverage Control, Agriculture and Markets, Social Services, Vehicle and Traffic, Parks and Recreation, Navigation, Tax and Environmental Conservation Laws. The office currently delegates prosecution of municipal ordinances to the municipalities’ attorneys, and shares jurisdiction over prosecution of members of the military who violate the above referenced laws with military authorities.
Attorneys are assigned prosecution duties based on the geographical jurisdiction where the incident occurred, the type of crime alleged and further based on his or her level of prosecutorial experience. Assistant District Attorneys are assigned to prosecute all misdemeanor, violation and traffic offense cases being heard in specific Town and Village Justice Courts and Watertown City Court. Felony cases to be prosecuted in Jefferson County Court are assigned to individual attorneys based largely on experience, ability and familiarity or specialization in particular prosecution areas.
The legal staff of the District Attorney’s Office also prosecutes the various post-conviction motions and appeals filed by defendants in the appellate courts. These post-conviction prosecutions include the preparation and filing of documents in, and personal appearances for appellate arguments in Jefferson County Court, the Appellate Division, Fourth Department in Rochester, New York and the Court of Appeals in Albany, New York.